You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
by Silencebeyondthestars
Summary: Neither Molly nor Sherlock believed in fate and that the one chance encounter they'd had as teenagers was the only time in their lives that they would ever meet. But then why, after almost two decades of not seeing each other they still can't forget the other and all the signs tell them to find one another again? (Sherlolly)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is inspired by the movie Serendipity(2001) starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack. The rating might change to M at some point I'm not sure yet.**

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><p><strong>11th of December 1997<strong>

At eighteen years old, Molly Hooper was a woman of science. She held no belief in fate or some other higher power which was said to be in control of her life because what she firmly believed in was that most of the things which happened, whether they were bad or good, were simply caused by matters beyond anyone's control. The rest were simply result of your own actions and decisions.

To her everything didn't happen for a reason. Her dad's death had taught her many important things but Molly knew that the reason Matthew Hooper had died wasn't just so she could learn those lessons. She saw life being full of random happenstances and in order to survive you just had to do the best with what you were given.

That was why when her group of girlfriends in Middle school had gushed over horoscopes, which they read from the endlessly seeming stream of teen magazines, Molly had just scoffed at them and buried her nose back in the medical journals her uncle, the heart surgeon, had gifted her with. While others liked to ponder over what life was really about and if there were such thing as fate, Molly much rather wanted to actually do something with her life.

So no, she could give a rat's ass about the nonsense that was fate or destiny or whatever you called it, until one perfectly ordinary Friday afternoon when she was eighteen years old and on her own in London for the first time.

It was only a few weeks until Christmas and the streets and shops were full of people doing their gift shopping. Molly had never liked being among huge crowds but she had no choice if she wanted to buy her friends and family good presents this year. The small town in which she had just moved into to start her University had only a few shops which didn't have anything she really wanted to give to her loved ones.

Her cheeks and nose tingled from the chilly air as she walked down to pavement on her way to the next shop, the John Lewis' debarment store, but Molly didn't notice, for she was intently listening the Christmas carols that a big choir of singers were performing on the opposite side of the road.

It happened to be one of her favorite pieces, the one that she and her dad had used to listen all the time around Christmas for as long as she could remember. Molly hadn't heard it since last year, not since her father was still alive. That's perhaps why she, who used to love the particular holiday above all the others, was not feeling nowhere near as happy or content as the smiling crowd of people around her. Not for the first time this year, Molly felt that she was all alone in the world. She of course still had her mum but the two had never been as close as she'd been with her dad.

At last when the bright lights and shop windows of John Lewis greets her, Molly's pace quickens. She's sighs in relief when she's finally inside and the doors behind her close so that she can't hear the music anymore. Wiping the wetness out of the corner of her eyes with her wooly mittens, she sets her sight for the information screen and focuses her thoughts on what to get her friends and family for Christmas.

After half an hour in the cramped store she has unbuttoned her heavy winter coat and her mittens and scarf are tucked away in one of her plastic bags. Molly was rather please with herself for she had now found small Lego sets for her young second cousins, a book for her mother and for aunt Liza she had some over priced chocolate in a fancy packaging. The last present she'd had to grab quickly from the shelf since there had been a rather chubby looking young man who'd been clearing out the whole section on his own when she'd gotten there. Although those gifts had been a rather easy task for her Molly now faced the more troubling challenge of finding something for her brother Larry who must've been the most difficult person in the world to buy anything for.

Finally, after having circled the current floor twice already, Molly finally felt she'd solved her problem when she stumbled upon the men's outwear accessory isle. It looked like the most warm and soft looking scarf she'd ever seen. It was light blue, arguably by the looks of it made of 100 percent cashmere, and it was the perfect thing she could think to get for her brother. It would most likely cost a long penny but after what her brother had gone through this year with their father's death, Molly didn't care the slightest if she'd have to manage with only water and bread the beginning of the next year in effort to afford it.

Her eyes are completely focused on the item on the display rack as she more than elegantly rushes towards it. Her fingers are a mere inch from touching the soft fabric when suddenly a hand, a male hand, invades her vision as it reaches towards the same destination as hers. It's too late to pull her hand back and so their hands touch and her fist is accidentally enveloped inside the warm and much larger one.

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><p>.<p>

William Sherlock Scott Holmes was bored beyond caring, there's nothing new about that. Once again his parents had dragged him along with his elder brother Mycroft for their annual Christmas shopping trip to the capitol. It made no difference at all to tell her he was already legally an adult and he could do as he pleases because there simply was no chance of interfering with her plans.

Only a second after they'd walked into the store a go a fussing Minerva Holmes with their ever so calm father had disappeared into the direction of the escalators. She had told him and Mycroft to stay on their own for the time being while they were buying presents for the boys and that they would all meet up in the lobby again after an hour.

Mycroft and his large waist had naturally disappeared as soon as their parents backs had been turned, to the way where the Christmas candy were located but since he had no intent to buy any gifts he settled for standing still in the busy lobby, observing the people rushing by to see if there were any shady persons among them. After standing on the same spot which to him felt like forever, he gave up. It got boring pretty quickly because there was no way a self respecting criminal mastermind would lower himself to do his Christmas shopping in this crowd of ordinary people.

Blocking out the annoying Christmas music from his mind, he decided to wander around to see if there were any pickpockets he could catch or if he could find some things he'd be able to buy for his experiments, he left the lobby towards the men's clothing section.

Ever since he'd been a small boy, his mother had dressed her sons in good quality clothes that came with a sensible price tag. This was a custom which had not been inherited by either of the boys themselves, since he now made his way straight to the design section of the isle. There he casually peered around him until he saw it, a treat he would give himself for putting up with his tiring family the entire day.

The scarf was everything he'd been wanting but never knowing he'd need and it would go perfectly with the new dark blue coat he'd bought a few weeks ago. With long strides he began to near it and failed to see the other person who also held an interest for the object.

And just like that he found himself staring into a pair of big brown eyes and instead of feeling the cashmere fabric under his fingers he ended up touching the soft skin of the hand of the same girl in his own.

They were silent for what seemed like minutes, neither of them releasing their hands and just stared at one another in daze. It wasn't until some man accidentally bumped into Molly which left her to stumble a bit, that they were woken up from their stupor and finally they let their hands separate and fall back to their sides.

Then they both spoke at the same time.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"I saw it first"

"What?" Molly chocked out, perplexed by the rudeness of the tall and slim boy in front of her.

"I said I saw it first. It's mine." His voice sounded intentionally bored and he let his posture to straighten itself up to it's full height as to look more intimidating. It was a trick he'd seen his elder brother use number of times. So he glared at the girl, who by the looks of it weren't much younger than himself. Cute, was the adjective which came to his mind first when he deduced her but he quickly blocked it out. He simply did not find any girl 'cute'.

Molly, still a bit dazed by the intensity that the man emitted through his every gesture, found her voice as soon as her annoyance began to build.

"How on earth could you know that it was you who saw it first? My hand was much closer to it than yours just now when we both reached for it."

"Irrelevant. Besides why can't you just take another one?"

"There's no other one left of the same color. Just look at the sign." She waved at the small white board which stated that there were no other samples in stock. Then she continued: "It'll be a gift for my brother and you can't possibly know how difficult it is to shop for him. This blue is his favorite color."

"What about me? I'm more than deserved it for not blowing up my family past this entire day. And this color suits my eyes better than the others."

Molly was about to retort what kind of nonsense was that but was stopped when subconsciously she let her sight get caught by the eyes in mention. They were indeed the perfect match for the scarf, and at the same time the most stunning pair she'd ever seen. Molly felt she could spent an entire day looking into them and never get bored. In fact, now that she thought about it the face which owned them was equally pleasing and exciting to look at as well, as it was framed by a dark mass of curls on top of his head.

He found himself slightly flustered under the surprisingly strong gaze and to his complete embarrassment could feel the end of his high cheeks warm. Adorable, was the word he thought when he again found himself taking in the features of the girl, who at first glance had seemed just a typical young girl to him.

Now he saw that she was anything but. It wasn't only the soft looking long brown hair or the slight upturn of her nose but what he could also deduce of her. She was a medical student obviously, but not from some typical or boring field like pediatrics.

If she'd just been a pretty package with a boring brain inside of her head he would've at this moment been on his way out of the clothing section with the scarf wrapped around his neck but she wasn't, so he decided to give her a chance to stay in his presence. Yes, he mused, he would continue to do that because just then he had realized what he'd been looking for all along. She was studying pathology, a subject he found himself very interested in. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to exchange a few words about the subject with her after all.

The scarf which they had both been most keenly after just a few moments ago lay on the display rack completely forgotten but while the two of them were distracted by the other, a third person invaded the space between them and reached for the scarf.

It was all thanks to quick reflexes that they succeeded to grab the light blue scarf so that now both of them were holding the opposite ends of it tightly, just a second before a middle aged woman, wearing a thick fur coat and what seemed like an entire bottle of perfume sprayed upon her, was about to snatch it from under their noses.

"Hey! That's mine!" The woman screeched.

Molly was about to answer politely but the man, whose name she still didn't know, interrupted her.

"No. Actually it ours and if you don't want your husband knowing that you've been sleeping with his brother for the past ten years and are planning on giving this to your lover for Christmas I suggest you forget it and keep walking."

Molly's mouth dropped open because he was apparently telling the truth it seemed, based on the pure look of shock and quilt on the face of the blonde haired woman. The woman muttered something about disrespectful youths but walked away quickly, thinking that if the young man had been able to know about her secret love life he was most likely able to get a hold of her husband too.

"How did you do that?" Molly gaped at him while he was looking more than smug for having been able to get this reaction out of her.

"It was plain really. The wedding ring on her finger was poorly looked after and she was far too suggestively dressed on her day off to be on her way to see a mere friend."

Just then a busy and tired looking shop salesman walked towards them which prevented Molly from asking more of this talent of his.

"Excuse me miss and mister but you have been standing there for quite a long time and you're blocking other people from the display, would you kindly move?"

The pair looked at the folded out scarf between them, both of them still grasping the ends of it.

"How about we buy this scarf with both us paying half of the price and we go some place else to talk about the final ownership of it. Maybe that one café a few shops down the road." The younger Holmes brother suggested, unable to believe that he'd just asked a girl out for a coffee. His brother would be so disappointed in him if he would see.

He tried to tell himself that the reason for his interest was all because of her medical education and that he wanted to ask her more about them but as he watched the radiant smile take hold of her face he couldn't pretend anything anymore.

"Sure. I'd like that." Molly replied beaming up at him.

They gave both the equal amount of money to the cashier and ten minutes later they were sitting in a nearby coffee place, she drinking a hot coco and he a black coffee. The scarf was again forgotten, this time in it's bag, as they were focused on their conversation which now had reached the point where he in turn was talking about his studies.

Molly found out that he was a university student as well with chemistry as his major but that he was actually thinking of giving it up to study criminology instead. It was a subject Molly could clearly see he had a talent for as he had previously entertained her by deducing the customers around them. He too had been pleasantly surprised by her, since she seemed to posses a fair share of intuitive thinking as well.

Mesmerized by the deepness of his voice, Molly was listening him excitedly tell her about his first case for the metropolitan police only at the age of eleven when a realization came to her. This meeting so far had been the longest period of time this past year when she hadn't thought about her dad's passing at all.

Molly didn't have to wonder at all how he'd managed to distract him so since it was pretty obvious to her, the man was simply mesmerizing. He must've been the first boy she'd met that wasn't only okay with her chosen profession but he actually encouraged it and was fascinated by it. That itself was a miracle. His brain was also something she'd never seen before. He was clever, there was no question about that and the occasional rudeness just made him all the more interesting since it became clear to her he didn't do it out of spite but simply because he believed he was right. He also seemed to jump from one random topic to another but Molly didn't mind since it was refreshing to talk someone like that without following the typical patterns of conversation.

She laughed when he told her how his parents hadn't been at all proud of him like he'd thought they'd be when he'd caught the thief and had grounded him for a whole month, but their conversation from that point on wasn't all calm smooth sailing though, since they quickly found themselves bickering over a study they'd both read in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology. Their fight was luckily interrupted by a waitress who came by to ask if they wanted refills, which they both did, and Molly remembered something important.

"My name is Molly by the way. I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself."

He nodded and felt as if he'd known her name already. Molly was just so perfectly suitable name for her.

"I'm William."

"Really?" Was all she could say.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with that?"

"It's just..."

"Well?"

Molly bit her lip and blushed but still opened her mouth and said; "It's just it sounds so ordinary. And I'd think that someone like you could never have a name like that."

William's eyes widened and he quirked his brow. "You think I'm extraordinary then? " He smirked and to his amazement couldn't begin to feel horror about how his voice almost sounded flirty just now. His smile grew as he saw her blush even brighter.

"Well yes. I mean when considering everything about the conversation we'd just had, I'd think William was the last thing you'd be named."

"If it's any consolation my first name is actually Sherlock. My parent's for some foolish reason insisted on calling me by my second name."

"Sherlock." Molly tried to name in her mouth and grinned. "I like it. A bit odd but nice."

"I've actually thought about changing my name to Sherlock. William's boring."

"I think that's a great idea. Why don't you then?"

"If I someday hope to become a consulting detective I'd rather not wake any extra attention among people because of my name."

Molly thought that was a bit too much to ask for considering his tall frame and his face which was almost out of this world.

"But have you thought that perhaps if your name was out of normal people would surely remember you and your talent better and you'd get more customers that way?"

William hummed in affirmative, having failed to think from that aspect before. He would've given the subject more thought but a outcry from Molly interrupted him.

"What is it?" His voice was concerned as he peered closely at her, searching for signs of trouble. Externally she seemed to be just fine merely staring at her watch with a panicked expression.

"I just completely forgot the time. I still have to find my brother a present but if I want to catch my buss back home in time I have to leave now." She sighed and looked at him with a disappointed expression.

Grabbing the bag with the scarf inside from the floor, William pushed it into her lap. "Take this."

"What? No! It's yours." Molly could feel her cheeks warming yet again, thinking what she was going to say next. "It really does suit with your eyes. Please take it. Larry doesn't even wear scarves that often. I'll find him something more suitable."

"Well if you're sure. Let me at least pay the coco for you. " He said and gave a few notes to the waitress who had come by again, this time to give them their bill.

After Molly had grabbed her purse and dug out her wallet to pay him her share of the scarf they silently made their way outside. It had started snowing again and it was almost completely dark. The snowflakes were bigger than usual as they descended from the sky almost like dancing and without a hurry in the world. The pair stopped near the entrance, under the canopy so they wouldn't get wet when they said their goodbyes.

"Well, I think this is it. Thank you for a really nice afternoon." She said biting her lower lip. Molly didn't want their meeting to be over but she had no choice than to leave now, if she wanted to make it in time for her friend Meena's birthday party back at the University dorms.

He on the other hand simply stood there without giving away any sign that he'd heard her or without saying a word himself, just staring down at her with his inquisitive eyes.

"Here, let me put this on you. I want to see how it looks on you." Molly said after the silence grew and after she somehow found her courage to pull the pale blue piece of fabric out of the bag he was now holding. She folded the scarf open and he bend down slightly to allow her to more easily wrap it around his neck. When she was done Molly took a step back to look at him and smiled while feeling very pleased with herself.

"It looks good. Very good. I hope you'll keep wearing it." She murmured softly.

He fiddled with the ends of the scarf self-consciously as he said: "Thank you for this. And I don't just mean this scarf. Without you this shopping trip with my family would've been much worse than it was. Would it be okay if…" His voice gave out near the end as he thought about his options.

"Yes?" Her voice sounded hopeful that the man opposite to her had the same sort of feelings fluttering inside of his body than she did.

"Maybe I could give you the phone number to the landline I have in my dorm room and we could continue our discussion some more?"

Molly merely nodded eagerly, knowing full well that her voice would sound far too squeaky if she spoke aloud.

Hurriedly they both began to search their pockets for some paper and it almost seemed that they were in trouble until Molly screamed.

"Here!" She yelled excitedly and pulled a ten pound bill from her coat pocket. It turned out to be the only thing either of them could find that was suitable so he went inside the café again and borrowed a pen from the waitress. He scribbled down his number and gave the note to Molly who looked at it happily and put it back inside her pocket.

"What about you? Should I give you my number?"

"I'm not sure I have any paper."He looked at her worriedly.

"It's okay. I just had an idea." She assured him and pulled something out of her bag.

He could see that it was a hard cover version of Grey's Anatomy and his brows pursed into a frown.

"Have you just dragged that brick of a book all over London?"

She was feeling slightly embarrassed but nodded. "I have two copies. The other which is back at my dorm is the one my dad gave me when I found out I'd been accepted to medical school. I'd already bought this one earlier so today brought it with me on this trip so I could study for my exam in the buss. And now if you're thinking of studying criminology I'm sure owning a copy would be very useful. It can be my Christmas present to you. I have no need of it myself, really."

William, too overcome with feelings and suggestive thoughts concerning the young woman, didn't know how to respond and so he said nothing when she snatched the pen out of his hand and wrote her number down on the first page of the heavy book. She closed the lid and passed the book onto his extended hands which had somehow reacted without him thinking and he just stared at the title while she went inside to return the pen. When she came outside again Molly found him staring at her instead and just as she reached his side he spoke.

"While I'm not always the most wisest when it comes to social customs but at least I know it's not right that I get to keep the scarf and you give me a Christmas present without me giving you anything in return."

She shrugged. "I've always enjoyed giving gifts more than receiving them. It's okay."

He shook his head, the right side of his mouth uplifted into a slight smirk and Molly could see a strange glint in his eyes. She gulped when she felt his right hand on her person, the left one still holding the book, and she found that this time the effect his touch had on her was doubled to what it was on the first time. The large hand grasped her arm above her elbow, not too tightly to hurt at all but still firmly, and used it to pull her towards his body. Their eyes locked and their chins angled slightly upwards as he bend his upper body down and she stood up on her toes. Their heads met in half way, lips slamming together and their eyes closed.

William didn't know at all what he was doing or why he was doing it but all he knew was that he wanted this. The first and last time he'd kissed anyone had been at the first party to which his best friend Victor Trevor had forced him to attend at the start of their freshman year and he'd been drunk as hell. After that experience he'd been certain there was nothing pleasant or exciting about kissing but it now seemed he'd been completely wrong. All his brother's warnings about the dangers of sentiment were now soon fading out of his mind as he began to snog the small woman with all he got.

It was warm and soft at first, both of them feeling each other out before they gave away to the rush they felt in their blood and the kiss became more intense as their mouths opened to one another. His tongue won the battle and as it slipped inside her mouth to meet hers, William added more pressure by lifting his hand from her arm to behind her back and bringing her head even closer. Molly on the other hand wrapped her shopping bag full arms around his neck and clung to him for her life. Neither of them cared about the people who passed them by and all that they were able to feel or acknowledge was each other.

When Molly had embarked on this trip early that morning she'd never expected that she'd end up snogging anyone but here she was, throwing all the warnings her mum had ever given to her about strange men into the air. He smelled distantly of cigarette smoke and she almost giggled how well he fit the image of the perfect bad boy expect that he was much more better dressed than the typical uni student. This wasn't the first kissed she'd received but it certainly was the best by a mile as she could feel her toes curling and her brain come fuzzy by the force of it.

They didn't know how long they had continued their kiss but eventually they had to stop to take a breath. He rested his forehead against hers and watched how much more adorable she was like this, blushing redder than he'd ever seen her while her raw looking lips hang open to gasp for air.

Reluctantly they pulled their bodies away from each other despite how much they seemed to resist.

"I guess this will have to be the goodbye. My family is most likely at this very moment panicking when I haven't returned to them and are forcing the guards to call my name through the intercom like I'm some lost five year old child. Have a merry Christmas Molly. I'll call you."

"Bye Sherlock. I'll be waiting for your call." She smirked and liked the look of surprise on his face when he heard her calling him by that name.

She reluctantly turned away but when she began walking down the street Molly couldn't help but look behind her back a few times as she got further and further away from him. He was still standing there under that canopy, keeping his eyes on her every time she looked. Their eyes locked as she finally rounded the corner and just like that they disappeared from each other's line of sight for good.

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><p>.<p>

It wasn't until hours later when she was in the buss on her way back to home that Molly, to her absolute horror, realized the bill with the phone number had dropped from her pocket sometime during her trip to Selfridges and from there to buss station. She forced herself to calm down since she knew that it would be harder for him to loose the heavy book and her number inside of it and that she could get his number when he called her. Molly leaned her head against the window of the buss and smiled to herself as she thought of her day and how it had been the happiest she'd had that passing year.

Unbeknownst to her William was at that moment staring at the empty spot on the sidewalk where he'd laid his new book down only for a moment so he'd be able catch the pickpocket who'd attempted steal his mother's wristwatch when they'd been walking towards their car. He didn't know what kind of thief would want to have anything to do with an anatomy book but if he did he would surely give this thief a piece of his mind. He fiddled with the ends of the warm scarf while he sat on the backseat of their family car filling his mind palace full of details about the girl with kind eyes and a brilliant mind.

Both of them arrived home feeling slightly down but still hopeful as they waited the phone to ring by an unknown phone number. Then days turned into weeks and weeks into months with every call they received ending up in disappointment. They didn't know what had happened for the other one to be unable to make the call but both of them hoped it wasn't anything serious or that it was because the other had changed their mind about wanting to get to know each other better.

Years went and came and Molly's hope faded more and more until it was gone completely and he remained only as a one bright spot in her memories of her youth.

At the beginning the fear of being rejected was powerful in her and so she'd thought that the most likely the reason for his silence was that he just didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore or that he'd found someone else. That was why she didn't began to search for him and she didn't tell about him to no one, not even Meena. Instead she moved on but even now, over fifteen years later she couldn't forget him completely. She didn't think of him everyday or even every week, but he still kept up with her. Every time she saw a man walking pass by in the street who was tall and whose hair was curled she took a double look or if a new police detective walked inside her morgue she half heartedly thought if it could someday be the man from her past.

She still to believe in fate but ever since that day she found herself wanting nothing more than for it to be real since if it were, perhaps she could meet her tall and dark stranger again some day.

For William, he called his university next day about the possibility of changing his major and he would've graduated with flying colors from the criminology program if it weren't for his new found love for the seven percent solution and other corrosive drugs which forced him quit school during his final year. In the end of that ordeal he came out from it his body healthy again but with his heart hardened. And after he let his elder brother's lessons about the dangers of sentiment and love sink in, he wasn't the same man again. He didn't try to find the pleasantly strange girls after coming back from rehab and did his best to pretend she had never existed. After all she hadn't even called him so she must've realized what kind of person he really was and that he wasn't suitable for the type of relationship she clearly wanted him in.

Her name became something he never said out loud but he still didn't make the effort to remove her from his mind palace completely and instead the room where she and every information about her was, he locked firmly shut with countless locks and bolt. He told himself it wasn't out of sentiment but as to keep him remember his number one rule of never letting his heart rule his head, even how tempting it was.

The years rolled by, just as they had for Molly, and he found his wish come true as he settled in London and began his career as a consulting detective while leading a lonely life until he met a man called John Watson. He rarely thought of his childhood or youth since it held matters that still hurt and were best left where they were.

But still, every time after that snowy afternoon when someone asked what his name was, he always replied; "My name is Sherlock Holmes" and most of those times he was wearing a pale blue scarf around his neck.

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><p><strong>AN: ****Let me know what to think and if this something I should continue or not. Also a****t first I was going to write Molly like Sara in the film who believed in fate very seriously but then I thought Molly wouldn't let a great guy go just because a few random signs told her to. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all for your lovely reviews. They are the reason this second chapter is here. You should know that in this story Sherlock isn't as famous as he is in the show so that's why Molly doesn't anything know about him. Every other event in the show happened except that Molly wasn't there at all. **

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><p><strong>18 years later, 24th of January 2015<strong>

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Molly watched the familiar faces of the people gathered around the long table and who all were busy talking cheerfully to each other. Her mother, sitting at opposite to her, looked certainly the most happiest and it was no wonder. It was after all her only daughter's engagement party.

The pathologist was sure her whole family and all her friends, who were gathered in the room today, had given up the hope of her ever marrying after the day she turned thirty five so the wedding invitation she and her fiancée had sent for them must've been a real shock. Her brother Larry, a two time divorcee wasn't as happy about the news like their mother had been but Molly knew it was only because he, having first hand experience on how difficult marriages were, was just worried for her sake.

Molly reached forward in her chair to cut a second slice from the delicious chocolate cake despite hearing her mum hiss from the opposite side of the table "Ann Margaret Hooper if you want to fit into your wedding dress I'd think twice about what you put into your mouth." She was about to reply but decided otherwise when she heard the tell tale sign of a fork being clinked against a glass. Turning her head towards the sound Molly wasn't surprised to see her best friend and made of honor Meena standing up and getting ready for the bridesmaid's speech. This was only an engagement party but her friend had insisted she'd be given the chance to practice before she'd have to make a speech at their wedding.

"Hello everyone and thank you for coming here today to celebrate the engagement of my best friend and her fiancée." She waited for the many cheers and applauds to end before continuing. "I plan on keeping this speech rather short because there's after all the wedding coming up and I'm saving my most delicious bits there but I just have to begin by saying that I have known Molly since university and before you ask yes, I was too mislead by the colorful jumpers and kitten stickers on her notebooks and was quite shocked when she revealed that she was there to study pathology rather than becoming a veterinarian like I'd thought."

Laughter filled the room this time and to her embarrassment Molly could feel the eyes of everyone looking at her. She'd never been very comfortable about being the sole attention of a big group of people, even though she knew half of them closely. This was why she had wanted a smaller wedding but had somehow ended up agreeing with her fiancée's mother and her own that the bigger the better. Her mum's weepy voice telling her how her dad would've wanted to give her a memorable wedding day may have had something to do with it, Molly later mused.

"So me and Molls have been best friends for eighteen years and trust me, in that time I've seen her date plenty of guys. But after every break up she has come crawling to me with a sad smile and the words _'__it just wasn't him'._ All these years she has been after this image she has had in her head about this perfect man. And if I may add, based on the men she has been with, it would seem that this imaginary man was a tall and quite slim fellow who had a good volume of curly hair on top of his head. "

The crowd erupted into laughter again but Molly suddenly found herself nervously fidgeting on her seat. She didn't blame Meena because she hadn't intentionally meant to bring it up since her friend had no idea that the '_him'_ Molly always referred to, was not some perfect picture of the guy she had in her head but a man who had really existed. Molly hadn't give him any meaningful thought in a long time but it seemed that she never could completely get him out of the subconscious part of her mind.

She had to focus her attention back to Meena when she continued her speech after the laughter faded.

"But now she has found that man in Tom. He's kind and sweet and takes more care of Molly than any other man I've seen her with. And I know Molls must be pretty serious about him too since she is willing to stand his dog in their shared flat." A few chuckles broke out and Molly felt her fiancée's hand grasping her own. "So I just want to wish you both a happy future together and hope that your wedding day will precede all your expectations. To Molly and Tom!"

"To Molly and Tom" The rest of the room echoed as they raised their classes in salute.

Molly raised her champagne glass along with others and watched their awed expressions as Tom reached closer to her to drop a soft kiss on her cheek. She closed her eyes at the feeling of it and in that moment felt more satisfied than she had in a long time.

When Molly had been a teenager and even younger than that, her number one wish in life had been becoming a respected professional in her chosen field and having a successful career. She'd had her dream come true years ago and ever since then she had begun to look for a way to make her second wish come true. Even though she hadn't, and still didn't, believe in fate, Molly had despite of it wished that she would some day meet her soul mate. It was a contradiction, she knew it well, but it seemed that the cynicism she'd been feeling after her dad's passing hadn't reached to her as deep as she'd thought.

Today there was almost nothing left of the girl who had been angry at the whole world of taking the person she'd loved most away from her. It hadn't taken her extremely long to get pass it and so had Molly once again become the sweet and cheerful person she'd been since childhood although there was one thing that had changed in her.

Now years later, after dating an endless series of men, only a few serious long term relationships and a fewer heartbreaks she had, just like with believing in fate, given up the whole subject of soul mates for good. She now knew that there wasn't just one perfect counterpart, no other half of to make you whole, there were just men, some better suited to you than others. Molly briefly had however wondered if she'd already met that someone in the young man she'd encountered on that snowy afternoon years ago but had quickly shot that idea down since if the two of them had meant to be she wouldn't have a lost that bill or he would've called her. But still she couldn't have help but compare every man she'd gone out with to him whether it was conscious or not.

After giving up her naïve hope she had decided to not let this realization stop her and so she had met Tom. And today, finally, her dream of getting married and becoming a mother was closer than it had ever been before. Molly had hoped it would've happened to her sooner than this late but she couldn't say her life had felt lacking until now, quite to the contrary.

After the best man had also given his short speech and the deserts had vanished from everyone's plates the party was nearing its end. After wanting to please his mother, who had insisted on that an official engagement party was a must, Tom and Molly had rented this small ballroom from a nearby but upscale hotel and into which they'd invited their closest friends and relatives who were also on their wedding guest list.

"So Molly. I believe I haven't yet heard how you two met." Aunt Carol who sat next to her mum asked after finishing her second cup of coffee.

It was a speech Molly had delivered many times after telling people she'd gotten engaged so she gladly let Tom spoke for her this time.

"Well you know we both work at the London's Kingston Hospital in South West London and it happened the very first day I started there. I was given one of the staff members to give me a tour of the place, but lucky for me, the man got sick the very same morning and Molly here, as good hearted as she is, offered to take his place."

"And do you two both still work there? I remember aunt Vivian telling me you'd gotten a job offer from St Bartholomew, Molly?" Cousin Richard asked, having taken interest in the conversation too.

"Yes, I had been offered a position at St. Bart's and I'd been supposed to start there in a few months but after meeting Tom I didn't want to leave anymore. And it wasn't like the pay would've been bigger or the job any better. The reason I was asked was because an old friend of mine who runs the pathology department seems to have trouble keeping pathologists working there for some reason. Mine and Tom's work hours can be quite difficult so we have more chance of seeing each other if we work at the same hospital." Molly answered.

"So which one of you asked the other out first?" Carol spoke after shushing her son who she knew was about to continue asking something much less romantic.

"I did." Tom confessed smiling that sweet smile Molly knew so well. "I wanted to make it up to her for giving up her free day for my sake so I asked her to dinner. Of course she had no idea that I thought it was a date and not simply a way to say thank you. "

"Well there's a big surprise for you." Meena huffed sarcastically. "I swear I sometimes wonder if there's all alright with your head Molly, since you're on the level of an eight year old when it comes to dating."

Molly was pleased that Tom didn't join the others mockery laughter and he instead continued his story, never letting his hand fall away from hers.

"But I of course, only learned this fact after I walked her home and when I tried kissing her goodnight only to find Molls so startled that she couldn't get a word out of her mouth. What's more when she backed away from me she ended up tripping on her own feet and she fell straight into the shrubbery next to her front door."

Molly rolled her eyes, a rare habit for her, as everyone began to snicker again so she decided to intervene before she'd become the laughing stock at what was supposed to be one of the most elegant get-together's she'd ever organized herself.

"And he hasn't stop apologizing and feeling sorry for it ever since then. And for your information I didn't refuse him because I didn't like him, it was because I was just so shocked. So when I had gotten over it the following day I myself asked him out even though he'd thought he'd ruined his chance with me for good. Now please can we talk about something else than embarrassing stories about me?"

To her relief they gave up on that effort and now along with Tom's side of the family they began to ask her and Tom about their plans on getting a shared flat and other questions which to Molly seemed far too inquisitive. She had no desire to talk with her fiancée's uncle about how soon they wanted to start popping out babies.

Twenty minutes later and with their relatives and friends' curiosity sated, Molly was able to relax and continue sipping her wine as she rested her chin on her open palm. She watched Tom speak to her cousin Paul while trying block out the sound of her future mother-in-law, Meena and her own mum bickering over what color the bridesmaids' dresses should be. Instead focused on observing the man she was going to marry in four months.

If someone would ask her how she had fallen in love with Tom, Molly wouldn't know how to answer because it had seemed to happen gradually over time. There had been no sudden fireworks when they had met but as she had gotten to know him over multiple dates and time spend together she had begun to value his personality. So many men seemed kind and respectable on the outside but it was only a cover to make an impression on women they fancied but Tom wasn't like that. Molly had never met a more caring and sweet person in her life. Actually more often it seemed that out of two of them it was her who was more sarcastic and ill tempered, and knowing Molly, that was saying something.

Maybe Tom wasn't her soul mate but he was the man she easily could picture herself marrying, having children with and growing old together. But what was more important, she could see herself being truly happy with him.

His face was animated as he was telling her cousin about his latest trip to Portugal where he'd spent the entire weekend playing golf. Golfing was the last thing Molly had wanted to do on her holiday so she had spent the time on her own touring the city and its many museums and sights. She had been a tad bit disappointed in him for abandoning her but he had more than made it up to her when he had surprised her completely and proposed to her soon after.

And as Molly's eyes roamed her fiancée's appearance, his lean chest and light brown and curly hair, she couldn't deny that she definitely had a certain type when it came to men and that she would have to be a moron to not see where it originated. Not being very pleased about thinking of another man at her own engagement party, Molly was glad when she heard her mother's voice behind her.

"Molly dear."

"Mum. Are you leaving already?" Molly asked after turning around and seeing the older woman with her purse and jacket on her arms.

"I think so dear. It's been a long day and I'm a bit tired."

"Alright. I'll walk you outside and wait with you until the cab arrives."

A moment later the two women stood outside with their winter coats on and Vivian Hooper held her daughter in a tight hug. Once she released her Molly could see a few tears on the corner of her mum's eye.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm just so happy dear." The older woman sighed and squeezed her daughter's hands in both of her own.

Molly couldn't help but laugh. "Oh mum. Are you finally able to rest that you know your daughter is going to be married and have a man to provide for her? You're so old fashioned."

"No, it's not just that. You see, after your dad passed away and you kids moved out I've been left all alone and I don't want that for you Molly. I want you to have another person with you when you grow old and now you have found that person."

Molly nodded solemnly. Having experienced it first hand, she knew what her mum meant.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course darling. Whatever you like."

"How did you know dad was the one for you? How did you knew it was him who you wanted to commit to for the rest of your life and no one else?"

Vivian Hooper gazed at the ground for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. She had planned on giving this speech to her daughter somewhere more private but yet again it seemed her daughter had a mind of her own.

"You know I asked your grandma the same question just before I married your dad."

"And what did Grandma June say?"

"She told me she knew that granddad was it for her because she didn't have any doubt in her mind about him or that the marriage would fail. I couldn't begin to tell her how bad I felt because I wasn't feeling as care free as she. I didn't questioned my love for your dad or his for me but what I feared was that if my marriage would fail me, if something would happen to him or that if something would come between us, I wouldn't be able to bare it. That's how I began to question if it would be better to save myself the heartbreak now and not marry him but then I realized that the marriage and life shared with him would be more rewarding than the eventual heartbreak which everyone has to go through in any case, whether it was because of divorce or death. That's how I knew it was your dad I was meant to be with. And when he passed away and I grieved harder than I had ever before I couldn't began to regret my decision I had made when he proposed to me. To me he was worth all the sorrow."

Molly only nodded, feeling too raw to say anything merely wishing her goodbye when she climbed inside the cab that soon pulled over. Molly went back inside the hotel and the ballroom where the guests were already putting on their coats to leave as well. She said goodbye to them with Tom resting his hand on her lower back and when everyone had left she kissed Tom goodbye, saying she'd rather walk home instead of sharing a cab with him while he went to his own flat.

As she had gotten older sleep had become more evasive to her than before and Molly had found out that being outside and having a nice long walk would do wonders for her at the evening when she climbed into bed. Tonight she was going to need it more than before.

Wandering down the street she let her thoughts run through her and there was one thing that seemed to pop into her thoughts than any other. Molly reasoned to herself that it was simply because it was the wedding nerves and it was normal when before one got married to look back on previous relationships.

Molly hadn't thought of _him_ in years. Well she had every now and again but not because she had meant to but because sometimes he'd just appear into her mind by relation, like for example whenever she visited John Lewis, which wasn't often since she avoided Oxford Street and its huge crowds. Although she never went pass the isle where she'd met him but as soon as she even stepped inside the building the thoughts of him came to her like waves.

Molly didn't know what was it with him that made him more special than all the other short flings she'd had with other men during her single years. Maybe it was because he somehow, in the year which had been the most horrible she's ever lived through, had made her forget about her own bad feeling as well as making her laugh harder than she could imagine herself capable of. Or maybe it was the pure intelligence of his mind that had gotten to her since Molly had always been attracted to those who could keep up with her in conversation about science, the matter closest to her heart.

But eighteen years were a long time and time had the habit of painting memories brighter than they really were. Maybe she only imagined it and in reality his eyes weren't as mesmerizing like she'd used to dream or maybe his kiss hadn't taken her breath away so completely like she remembered. Perhaps it had just felt so passionate and earth shattering to her because before that Molly had only been kissed once and that was when the kisser had been as inexperienced as she.

Whatever he was, she thought, is now nothing more than only a distant dream, not really even a real memory but a version of her own glorified reflections of him.

Perhaps that's why once that the disappointment of him not contacting her and the embarrassment which had born inside of her as a result of it had faded, she still had never once thought to Google him or try to find him because she was afraid that the amazing dream would shatter once she saw the real him. If she would contact him now, how disappointed would she be if he would turn out to be still William Holmes, now a softened middle aged scientist with a wife and two children who worked regular hours and who had a beer belly and had his curly hair now threatened by a balding hairline, instead of being Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective who would look even better as a matured male than as a teenager and who was just as rude, pompous and magnificent as he had been then.

Maybe sometimes it was better to live in denial than face the cold hard truth.

Molly was only a few blocks away from her flat when she decided that she could do with a few small pizza rolls as an evening snack so she stopped at the nearest super market. A few minutes later and a packet of her favorite snack on the crook of her arm she walked towards the cash registers just behind some man when Molly saw a paper falling out of his pocket.

"Excuse me sir. I think you dropped a bill." She exclaimed as she bend down to pick up the paper.

The man with graying sandy colored hair turned around at the sound of her voice and smiled as she handed it over to him, just after turning it around in her fingers and seeing that it was as blank of any handwriting as always.

Even though she didn't think of _him_ actively anymore or didn't want to find him, it had still remained as her second nature to turn over every ten pound bill she received in the hopes of seeing that familiar scrawl of numbers again, just so that she would have at least one physical evidence that he had really existed. She had of course pressed the image of him deep into her brain but the years had already begun to muddle it slightly.

"Thanks. That was the only money I had on me and I'm sure my wife would've killed me if I had come home without these nappies." The man said, gratefulness evident in his voice.

Molly laughed politely. "She seems quite a woman this wife of yours."

"Trust me, you have no idea." The man laughed. "I'm John Watson by the way."

"Molly. Molly Hooper."

They walked together the rest of the way to the cash registers and they bid each other goodbye as they came outside from the store.

"Well Ms. Hooper I hope someday I'll be able to make this up to you. You know not everyone is as honest as you. Most would've said nothing and keep the money to themselves."

"It was nothing, really. Good bye."

"Bye!" The man waved and she watched him walk to the opposite way.

As she turned around to make her rest of the way home Molly's thoughts returned to their earlier direction.

Yes, until now at least one part of her subconscious mind seemed to drift towards _him_ and the possibility of how life would've turned out if they had kept seeing each other but no more would she do that, Molly decided. Tom was worth the eventual heartbreak, she assured herself. Molly would make herself learn how to let _him_ go for good and she would instead focus all her conscious and subconscious thoughts on making her marriage to Tom as happy as her parents' had been.

Her mind now set, Molly only wished her heart would do so too.


End file.
